Santosh, Internet ScamBusters Newsletter #208, 12-6-2006

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Internet ScamBusters (tm)
The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud
http://www.scambusters.org

By Audri and Jim Lanford
Issue #208 December 6, 2006

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Note 1: Easily change your subscription information by
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Note 2: Please share this newsletter with 3 or 4 of your
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Hi Santosh,

Today we've got another subscriber Q&A issue for you. We'll
answer these questions:

- Is the email I just received from the Social Security
Administration a scam?

- Is it my imagination or am I really getting a lot more
spaham (misspelled intentionally) recently?

- Am I being too paranoid?

We especially recommend you check out the first question -- it
includes info about a new Social Security Administration scam
alert.

In addition, we thought you might enjoy a news article from
last week that quotes Audri, called "Victims Still Falling
Prey to Nigerian E-Mail Scam."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,232500,00.html

However, before we begin today's Q&A, we first encourage you
to take a look at this week's most popular articles from our
other sites:

Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas
http://www.christmasrants.com/easy_christmas_decorating_ideas.html

Cash Back Credit Cards Great Choice for Consumers
http://www.creditcardtipsetc.com/cash_back_credit_cards_great_choice_for_consumers.html

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Report Identifies
Safest Cars
http://www.consumertipsreports.org/insurance_institute_for_highway_safety_report_identifies_saf.html

Creative Ideas for Presenting Christmas Gifts
http://www.aboutchristmascrafts.com/ideas_for_presenting_christmas_gifts.html

Popular Christmas Gifts This Holiday Season
http://www.consumersavvytips.org/buy_popular_christmas_gifts_this_holiday_season.html

Making Sure Your Child Doesn't Become a Victim of Identity
Theft
http://www.identitytheftfixes.com/identity_theft_and_middle_school_students.html

Let's get started...

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Internet ScamBusters Q&A
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Question: I'm a senior and got an email yesterday from the
Social Security Administration that says if I don't respond by
tomorrow, I'll stop receiving Social Security! Is this a scam??

Answer: Yes, it's a scam. In November, the Social Security
Administration issued a security alert about a new phishing
scam aimed at seniors.

The subject line of this supposed Social Security
Administration email is: Cost-of-Living for 2007 update.

The email claims its purpose is to inform Social Security
recipients about the 3.3% Social Security benefit increase for
2007. It also contains the following statement:

"NOTE: We now need you to update your personal information. If
this is not completed by [a date close to today's date], we
will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely."

The recipient is then directed to a bogus phishing website
that is designed to look like the Social Security
Administration's website.

At the phishing website, victims are asked to create a
password and to confirm their identity by providing their
Social Security number, credit card information and bank
account information.

Action: Delete the email. Do NOT visit the website.
Recognize that the Social Security Administration does not
send out emails that require you to give out your personal
information, nor do they use scare tactics and short deadlines
via email to pressure you to update your account.

For more information, you can see the Social Security
Administration News Release about this scam alert.

http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/colaPhishingScam-pr.htm

To learn more about phishing scams, visit:

http://www.scambusters.org/phishing.html

~~~

Question: It seems as if I'm getting a whole lot more spaham
in the past month or so. Is this my imagination, or is the
spaham problem getting worse?

Answer: Unfortunately, it's not your imagination. In
November, there was a dramatic increase in the amount of
spaham coming out of Russia.

In fact, Russian spahammers are now using 70,000 infected
machines capable of pumping out a billion messages a day!
Many of these emails are "pump and dump" scams hawking penny
stocks.

We've personally seen an enormous amount of additional spaham
in the past month -- and our spaham filters are working double
duty just to keep up. It's VERY frustrating. For more info,
visit:

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2060235,00.asp

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Question: I sell handcrafted merchandise online. i recently
received an order for $1800 worth of drums. The customer said
he had a customer who owed him $5000. A $5000 check was going
to be sent to me so I could take out the $1800 for the drums
and I was to send the remaining $3200 on to a shipper who
would pick up the drums when I was finished making them. I
refused, he tried to convince me, I ended up declining the
order. Am I being too paranoid?

Answer: You are NOT being too paranoid at all. This is a
classic scam called the "overpayment" scam. You can read more
about it here:

http://www.scambusters.org/overpayment.html

Time to wrap up for today -- have a great week!

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Discover more about this unique collection of cholesterol
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Small Business Owners: Exactly What You Need to Know to
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